Hollywood / article (9)

The landmark amphitheatre reopened in July 2016 after a $66-million renovation designed by Levin & Associates Architects with Mia Lehrer + Associates landscape architects. The project was initiated in 2012 and required a 21-month closure of the amphitheatre - programming during construction took place at off-site venues.

Hollywood Forever's charms are somewhat hidden. Drive by and you might barely notice it, unless you're trying to make your way past the line of cars snaking out onto Santa Monica Boulevard some Saturday night. (More on that later.) Tucked off of a busy stretch a few blocks east of Vine Street, it's easily accessible by bus. Visitors can tour the grounds for free from Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The world-famous Hollywood Walk of Fame features more than 2,500 terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalk along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. The five-pointed stars honor the accomplishments of actors, musicians, directors, producers and others in the entertainment industry.

Visitors should set aside at least an hour to explore the museum, which includes Max Factor’s world-famous make-up rooms, where Marilyn Monroe became a blonde and Lucille Ball became everyone’s favorite redhead. Displays include everything from Max Factor’s unique “Beauty Calibration Machine” to Monroe’s million-dollar dress and Hannibal Lecter’s cell from The Silence of the Lambs.

“My mother was an educator, my father was an educator, and I was an educator,” says Dadigan. “So my mother and I, we realized - harkening back to our times of being school teachers - that the best way for us to get our children and our students to be interested in the subject that we were teaching was that we had to entertain them. If we entertain them, they couldn’t help but open their minds to what they were being taught.”

She continues, “So we felt if we take that component and put it in a museum, showcasing what we think is the number one export of Los Angeles - Hollywood - we couldn’t help but have an opportunity for visitors from all the around the world to come and see this.”